Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Shares Acquired by Mosley Wealth Management

Mosley Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 14.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,691 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,801 shares during the period. Mosley Wealth Management’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $592,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fox Run Management L.L.C. grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 60.7% during the fourth quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 20,386 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $815,000 after buying an additional 7,702 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $78,389,000. Umpqua Bank increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 59,293 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $2,270,000 after purchasing an additional 5,263 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 100.3% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,616 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 1,310 shares during the period. Finally, Intellus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at $290,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on VZ. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Argus raised Verizon Communications to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. TD Cowen raised Verizon Communications to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $42.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.50 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $46.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Vandana Venkatesh sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.79, for a total transaction of $437,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $633,159.61. This represents a 40.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kyle Malady sold 11,085 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.88, for a total transaction of $453,154.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 14,590 shares in the company, valued at approximately $596,439.20. This trade represents a 43.17 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 49,085 shares of company stock worth $2,020,895. 0.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

NYSE:VZ opened at $44.06 on Friday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $37.59 and a 12-month high of $47.36. The firm has a market cap of $185.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.41. The company’s 50-day moving average is $41.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.01). Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.80% and a net margin of 12.99%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.08 EPS. Research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a $0.6775 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.71 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.15%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 65.46%.

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of communications, technology, information, and entertainment products and services to consumers, businesses, and governmental entities worldwide. It operates in two segments, Verizon Consumer Group (Consumer) and Verizon Business Group (Business).